Dictation
by Leonaria Dragonbane
Summary: A secretary's nightmare...or is it? What would it be like to WORK for Victor Creed...in his OFFICE? Had this strange idea, and this is what came out. Definitely AU. First in a series, Trials and Tribulations is volume 2 and The Return of Sabretooth 3
1. Chapter 1

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

She rolled over in bed. Her alarm still had two hours before it went off, so what was that ringing in her ear. She realized it was the phone and reached over to answer it before one of her roommates did.

"Hello, this is Bron."

"Bronwyn, I am so glad I reached you. We need you to come into the office right away. We have a wonderful opportunity for you." Shit it was her 'career developer' at the temp agency.

"You woke me up two hours early, so what's the job?"

"Personal Secretary."

Now that sounded interesting, and the pay wouldn't be bad, with a title like that, but the last time she had a job like that it had turned out to not be worth the pay.

"Ok, I will be into the office in twenty minutes." It would take her that long to get her eyes open.

"We need you here in ten, they want you there one hour prior to the executive's arrival. He is VERY particular." Oh great, one of those.

"Fine." She hung up the phone and crawled out of bed. A quick, cold shower to wake her up and refresh the curl in her hair, a quick blow dry, so that the curls looked casually styled, instead of like bed head, and she decided against makeup. She could put that on at the office. She grabbed her best suit, hose and her conservative 'secretary' pumps out of the closet and threw them on. This job better be worth it.

She hailed a cab outside her apartment building and gave him a big tip when he got her to the temp agency before her ten minute deadline.

She knocked on the locked office door. There was still three hours till the agency actually opened. Her developer opened the door, looking like she had just climbed out of bed. Bron walked in.

"I am so glad you were available for this job, Bronwyn. This employer is very particular. He has a Personal Assistant you will be reporting to directly, you should only have to deal with the employer himself very rarely. The job is for three weeks. Evidently he only comes to the office a few times a year and only needs a secretary for those few weeks. The company's own secretarial pool didn't have anyone available to take the position so they called us."

"Ok." Bron said with a yawn. She slipped into the bathroom in the office and put on her makeup, nothing major, just enough to look professional. Light gloss, a little blush, some eyeliner, she thanked her mother for her flawless skin, so she didn't need foundation.

Her developer was standing at the door a slip of paper in her hand. "Here is the address. You need to report to personnel first, they will have further instructions." Bronwyn just glared at her and took the slip of paper, walking out the door and standing at the curb to hail a cab. She looked down at the slip. The address was in the 200 block of Fifth Avenue, the high end business district. Well that looked good. There had been some new construction in that area in the last ten years and several new business buildings. This address didn't look familiar to her, but that didn't mean anything.

She slipped into the cab, and gave him the address. He pulled up outside about fifteen minutes later. One nice thing about being out and about before most places opened, less traffic. She paid the cab and got out. This was one of the new buildings, across the entrance way were the words Creed Industries. She felt her stomach fall, oh shit. She could do this, she could do this, she could do this. She kept telling herself that. The front doors of the building were open and she told the receptionist she needed to go to personnel.

"Second floor and good luck." That didn't bode well.

She climbed the stairs, and walked to the door that said personnel. It was bustling already inside. She walked to the reception desk and handed them her slip from the agency.

"Mr. Anderson will be with you in a moment." Said the harried young woman at the desk, Bron watched the activity in fascination. They were like an ant hill that had been stirred with a stick. Finally an older man came out and indicated she was to follow him into an office.

"Miss Tillman, thank you so much for coming. This assignment is very important. Mr. Creed only comes into the office a few times a year, and frankly we like to accommodate him to the best of our ability. He is very particular. I see you are a good typist, with dictation skills and good interpersonal skills. I can tell you now, all of these will be tested to the limits of your abilities."

"Mr. Varden, Mr. Creed's Personal Assistant, will handle most of your job instructions, but I need to stress one thing, and make sure you understand, what Mr. Creed wants, Mr. Creed gets. If he wants his coffee a certain way, you bend over backwards to do it, he is a wonderful employer, as long as he isn't in the office, when he is here, well you can see the flurry of activity, and he won't be here for three more hours. You will be responsible for basic reception duties for his office, directing his appointments, seeing to their comfort, you will type documents, and you will do whatever work Mr. Varden assigns to you as directed. I have some documents I need you to sign, including a confidentiality agreement."

She just nodded and signed the papers. Mr. Creed sounded like a nightmare. She followed Mr. Anderson's directions to the elevators and took them to the top floor. She stepped out of the elevator and into a luxurious, paneled office, where a young woman just looked at her and pointed down the hallway to a large area near one of the outer walls off the building. At least she would have a view. She walked down the hallway, trying not to look into any of the offices to either side. At the end of the hall were two built in paneled desks, on either side of a set of large brass and glass double doors, inside the doors she could see a large oak desk, no chairs in front.

A middle aged man was sitting at one of the two desks.

"You must be the temp." He stood up, and took her hand to shake it.

"Bronwyn Tillman." She introduced herself.

"Miss Tillman, it is miss isn't it?" She nodded. "This is your desk, your user name and password for the computer are written down. You will primarily be responsible for typing and reception duties, unless I am away from my desk for any reason. Mr. Creed is very particular, he likes his coffee two sugar, one cream, and that is part of your job. He doesn't like it to get cold, and he drinks coffee all day. He has a set of coffee cups, near the pot, and he wants his coffee on his desk when he gets in, and it can't be cold. I recommend making it about three to five minutes prior to his arrival time and then pray." He smiled at her. "Good luck, Miss Tillman.

She sat down at the desk, and began to familiarize herself with the set up. Simple and to the point, just the way she liked it. There was a clock on the desk that was counting down; it was now less than one hour. She looked over at Mr. Varden questioningly. He just nodded, and started filing paperwork in the file cabinets behind his desk; countdown to D day. She logged into the computer and was surprised to see that she could access the security cameras that gave her an idea and she put the one for the front lobby and the main elevators on her task bar, she would see him before he came up.

She started coffee brewing in the coffee pot and found a cup that didn't belong to the set for Mr. Creed and poured her a cup. She was going to need caffeine this morning. She looked over at the clock on her monitor she had ten minutes. She pulled up the security monitors and watched, the clock counting down in the background. At five minutes till, a large man entered the lobby, and EVERYONE began fawning. That must be Mr. Creed. She went and fixed his coffee just as he entered the elevators and put it on his desk in the large office. She walked back to her desk, and Mr. Varden indicated that she shouldn't sit down. She stood there waiting for the elevator doors to open.

Open they did, and he was huge. Seven feet if an inch, broad as a barn, even in that expensive suit he was wearing. His long blonde hair was pulled back neatly in a pony tail, and his unusual dark eyes took in everything around him. He walked straight down the hall, briefcase in one of his large hands. He just glared at Mr. Varden as he passed between the desks, and then glanced her way, and stopped.

"Who the hell are you?" It came out as a growl.

"Bronwyn Tillman, sir." He nodded, and signaled Mr. Varden to follow him into his office.

She situated a mirror so she could see him at his desk. He was giving Mr. Varden some sort of instructions and just noticed his coffee. She smiled when he took a sip and put it back down, without stopping his instructions to Mr. Varden.

Finally the door opened, and she suddenly realized his office was soundproof. She hadn't heard a word that was said in there.

"I will be in taking dictation, as soon as I am done, I will give you the sheets to type, I have some errands to run for him, and he has appointments all morning. Mr. Tyner will be here at nine thirty. I have a list of his most common appointments and how they like their coffee. Just buzz him when they arrive and he will let you know when he is ready to see them. One more thing, you are going to have to keep an eye on him, make sure his coffee is always fresh. He is in a mood this morning, so other than that, just avoid him." He reached over and pulled up the calendar, she saw the morning was booked with appointments. She smiled and prepared for a long day.

Mr. Varden picked up his notepad and went back into the office, shutting the door behind him. She sat at the desk, looking over the list of clients, and how they liked their coffee. She went to the pot about three minutes before Mr. Tyner was supposed to show up and prepped his cup. She heard the elevator behind her and turned. He was a small man, looked like an accountant or something, and she smiled.

"Mr. Tyner, I will let him know you are here." She said as she handed the man his coffee. He just smiled, and looked her over appraisingly. She walked to the phone and buzzed into the office on the intercom. "Mr. Tyner is here." She didn't wait, just indicated that Mr. Tyner should sit down, and went back to the coffee pot. She heard his voice over the intercom at her desk, and she escorted Mr. Tyner in, and replaced his almost empty cup of coffee with the fresh one in her hand. Mr. Varden followed her out of the office, and smiled.

"Very smooth." He handed her about twenty sheets of shorthand and she sat down to start typing. The morning was quiet, with the only interruptions being his appointments arriving, and remembering to watch him with his coffee. She did her best to be invisible, efficient, and professional. Several of his appointments were obvious mutants, but she didn't mind. She had grown up around them, and these days no one seemed to care anyway. She did have one scare right before lunch. She had been so busy getting his dictation typed she was only looking at the next appointment, instead of looking down the whole list. Erik Lensherr, oh great, she looked at the coffee list, two sugar, black. Shit, shit, shit. She hoped to hell he didn't recognize her.

He stepped off the elevator, his black trench coat resting on his shoulders, his suit tailored, carrying a metal cane in one hand. She smiled and handed him his coffee, Mr. Creed's replacement cup ready.

"Mr. Creed, Mr. Lensherr is here." She said into the intercom.

"Send him in, and where's Varden?" He growled through the intercom.

"Running errands, sir" she replied. He just growled. She escorted Mr. Lensherr into his office and replaced the coffee cup. She started out the door, when Erik turned.

"Bronwyn, isn't it?" SHIT.

"Yes, Mr. Lensherr, nice to see you again." NOT.

Mr. Creed glared at her, and she suddenly felt like the frog in a biology class, ready for dissection.

"Yes, empathy wasn't it."

"Yes, but only a class one." She hoped they would let her go.

"I remember."

"That will be all." Mr. Creed snarled at her. She ducked out the door and shut it behind her. SHIT.

She sat back down at her desk and went back to typing. Just because she had been a student at Xavier's all those years ago, and just because she had a minor mutation, didn't mean she wasn't a damned good secretary. Just because she was working temp at the moment didn't mean she wasn't looking for a good job. She didn't know why she was suddenly nervous.

Mr. Varden came back, dry cleaning, and bags from stores in his hands.

"I hate his errands." He muttered. Bron laughed. He glared over at her. "Go to lunch."

She grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator. She was waiting, when she heard someone step up behind her, she didn't look back, just stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. Erik stepped into the elevator with her.

"It's been a while. How are you doing?" Shit she didn't want to make small talk with Magneto.

"Good, not easy holding a job as a mutant, but I do what I can. You know how it is, don't tell them and they fire you when they find out, tell them and you don't get the job."

He just looked at her. "No I don't know how it is."

She just looked down at the floor. Shit. The door opened, relieving her of the onus, and she smiled and said "Nice seeing you again" and slipped out the door. He gave her a strange look as he walked away.

She went to her favorite café and sat outside. The waitress took her order, and she sat, watching the crowds of people pass by.

"Hey. How's tha job goin?" Marie slipped up to the table with her.

"Like hell." Marie and Jubilee were her roommates. This was NOT a good job for her to try to keep.

"Oh, it can't be that bad."

"Oh, really, my boss is Victor Creed."

"SHIT"

"Yea, and he just found out I went to Xavier's"

"How'd he find out?"

"Magneto was his eleven thirty appointment."

"Oh shit. You are having a bad day."

"No shit, Marie. I just want to get through this, call the agency, and tell them I won't take the job tomorrow and forget it ever happened."

"Damn, is he all scruffy at the office?" Leave it to Marie to ask, with her crush on Logan.

"NO, expensive Armani suit, hair pulled back, shaved, to be honest, he looks kinda hot. I can't believe I said that about Sabertooth." She shuddered. "But he snarls and growls a lot so I can't forget who he is."

"Damn. Get out of there as quick as you can. If you ain't home by five, we are comin in after ya." That was sweet, but if they waited until five she might already be dead.

"I just hope he doesn't kill me after lunch." She whimpered. Her mantra started back up in her head. 'I can do this, I can do this.'

"Call me; let me know you are ok." How the hell was she supposed to do that?

"Just, if I don't make it home, send Wolvie."

"Right."

She stood up, and left the money for her lunch and the tip on the table. Marie would take care of the rest; at least working for Xavier paid most of the bills. Bron had been hoping she would be able to afford to pay her third of the rent this month. She hated the other two having to cover for her.

The lobby was quiet when she got back, and she had the elevator to herself. Dread was weighing her down, making the ride take forever. She hoped he was still at lunch, or better yet had taken the afternoon off. No such luck, she could see him sitting at his desk as she walked up.

Shit. She dropped her purse under the desk and went to make his coffee. Mr. Varden just looked at her, and she knew something was wrong.

"He wants to see you." Shit.

"Carpe Diem." She replied. Well, if she was going to die, at least he would get his damned coffee first.

"Your coffee, Mr. Creed." She said as she entered the door.

His chair was turned, and he was looking out the window. "Close the door." He hissed almost a whisper. SHIT. She closed the door behind her, and replaced his empty cup with the full one. She stood, empty cup in hand in front of the desk.

"You're a mutant?"

"Yes, Sir."

He heaved a huge sigh. Well he wasn't coming across the desk fangs and claws flashing, so she began to think she might live through this.

"Graduated from Xavier's I am assuming."

"Yes, sir, NYU for my bachelors degree in Business Administration." She watched the top of his head drop in a nod.

"You ever serve on the team?"

"No, sir, I am just a class one."

"Good. I don't like bad blood on my staff." His staff?"

She just stood there, waiting. "Be here at eight in the morning. You have paperwork to fill out in personnel. You will man the office when I am out, schedule appointments when I am in, and basically handle all mine and Varden's secretarial needs. Anderson in personnel will fill you in on all the particulars." She tried to swallow the squeak in surprise. He was giving her a job.

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't disappoint me." He snarled.

"No, sir."

"Get out."

She walked out the door, closing it behind her. SHIT, she was Victor Creed's executive secretary. How the hell was she going to explain that to Logan?


	2. Chapter 2

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

**I didn't plan on continuing this past the one shot…but well…it gets in my head and I can't get it out….**

Chapter two

It was five thirty when she opened the apartment door. Jubilee, Marie and Kitty were suited up and ready to go rescue her.

"Stand down…emergency averted." She said as she dropped into the recliner in the living room.

"Emergency averted. You spent the whole day working for SABRETOOTH and you say emergency averted, Chica."

"Yeah…I was worried about Magneto - he recommended me for a full time job."

"WHAT!" All three of them stared at her, their matching X-Men uniforms gleaming in the lights of the living room. She heard a familiar knock on the door…perfect timing. Marie opened the door and let Logan in. He was suited up as well.

"I don't appreciate the false alarm." He said, staring at Bron in the chair.

"I didn't know it would be a false alarm when I GAVE it. I thought I was DEAD after lunch…hell, I thought I would BE lunch when I got back to the office."

The four X-Men just glared at her.

"Logan, Ah have a change of clothes for you in mah room." Marie said, Logan just grumbled and followed her. Jubilee and Kitty glared and went to change.

Now came the hard part, telling them she was going to be working for him, full time.

"_Graduated from Xavier's I am assuming."_

"_Yes, sir, NYU for my bachelors degree in Business Administration." She watched the top of his head drop in a nod._

"_You ever serve on the team?"_

"_No, sir, I am just a class one."_

"_Good. I don't like bad blood on my staff." His staff?"_

_She just stood there, waiting. "Be here at eight in the morning. You have paperwork to fill out in personnel. You will man the office when I am out, schedule appointments when I am in and basically handle all mine and Varden's secretarial needs. Anderson in personnel will fill you in on all the particulars." She tried to swallow the squeak in surprise. He was giving her a job._

"_Thank you, sir."_

"_Don't disappoint me." He snarled._

"_No, sir."_

"_Get out."_

He hadn't said a word the rest of the day…just _see you in the morning _as he left the office. She STILL didn't know if she would be able to handle working for him full time. He STILL scared the shit out of her. She remembered all the stories about him from school. She had never even come CLOSE to being on the team, but that didn't mean her friends weren't and that they didn't have horror stories to tell.

She was dreading the next conversation as all four of them came out of the bedrooms.

"So you are quitting tomorrow, right, Kid." Logan said, straightening the T-shirt he had pulled over his head.

"Umm, not exactly."

"WHAT!" Wolverine's claws popped out.

"Well…he offered me a full time job…with benefits and really good pay. I can pay my third of the rent and actually have money left.

"That job better come with life insurance, you are gonna need it." He growled at her.

"Logan…I won't…"

"And you BETTER put ME as beneficiary for dealing with your ass!"

"Logan, I won't be working with HIM but once or twice a year. I will basically just be manning the executive office, answering the phones, scheduling appointments, and typing stuff for him to sign. Oh and fetching his coffee when he IS in the office."

"I still don't like it."

"You know what, Logan, I don't CARE. It's a GOOD job, and for a mutant these days those are HARD to find. I don't have to worry about a boss who is going to grab my ass or try to get me to go to bed with him. He KNOWS I went to Xavier's and that I am only a class one mutant, so I am no threat to HIM at all. He is cool and professional at the office, and I am grateful…I WANT this job, Logan."

"Yeah…well I want ya to LIVE. This is fucking SABRETOOTH we are talkin about here…hell I wouldn't care if you were working for Magnet head…but CREED?"

"It's not like he is going to bring his war with the X-Men to work. He actually is RUNNING a company, he doesn't have time for the X-Men crap at the office."

"X-MEN CRAP!" They all four shouted at her.

"You KNOW what I mean. Now I'm tired, and am going to bed. Marie…if Logan is staying the night…keep it down, I need sleep. I have to be in personnel at eight."

"She's working for Sabretooth and WE have to keep it down…" She heard Logan grumble as she closed her bedroom door.

She felt like she had just crawled into bed when the alarm went off. She must have slept soundly, though…she could hear Logan snoring from the room next door, and he only snored after a hot and heavy night with Marie. Well, she had been tired, and a nuke was quieter than those two going at it.

She dressed quickly, and called a cab to pick her up. She wasn't going to take a chance on catching one this morning. The cab was there in ten minutes, and she climbed in, and gave the driver the address.

The morning was a headache. Tons of paperwork, more confidentiality agreements, applications, insurance paperwork, and that was just to get on the payroll. By nine o'clock she was at her desk, Varden grinning at her from across the 'boss'' door. His coffee was on his desk, and right at nine, the elevator doors opened and he walked out. He didn't say anything, just nodded at her, and then signaled Varden to follow him into the office.

Today was pretty much like yesterday, Varden handed her a stack of dictation to type, mostly memos for department heads about various projects. There were two letters that she found – almost – funny to type. One was to Xavier, refusing, yet again, to join the X-Men. Why Charles was asking him to join the team she had no idea. They had Logan for crying out loud. The other was to Ms. Raven Darkholm, demanding she get her blue butt out of his business. She had to choke a giggle when she typed that one.

His appointments were pretty much the same as yesterday, mostly business people, a few mutants, but no one of Magneto's stature today. She went to lunch when Varden told her. Marie was supposed to meet her for lunch today.

"Well…How's it goin'" She asked as she sat at the table.

"Fine, he's professional, courteous…well sort of, he hasn't really said two words to me all day, but that's fine, and it's really kind of fun…"

"Ah can't believe you are LIKIN' working for him."

"Hey…you'd like for me to be able to pay my part of the rent next month, right."

"Yeah…Ah guess."

"Then LET me enjoy my job. And KEEP LOGAN off my ass about it."

"Like that's going ta happen. Ah can't keep him off MY ass about it."

"Yeah…but you LIKE him on your ass…"

Marie just glared at her. "We ain't plannin a rescue tonight. If he kills ya, you're on your own."

"If he kills me Kitty can have my room, okay." They both laughed. Bron had NO worries about her boss killing her, at least not today.

She went back to the office. Varden was away from his desk, and Mr. Creed was not in his office. She slipped in and replaced his coffee cup, and started to slip out when the door to his private washroom opened. She tried to duck out the door before he saw her.

"Not goin' ta work." He growled as he sat at his desk.

"Sorry…was just refreshing your coffee."

"Fine…don't slink around. I know you are there."

"Oh..right." She walked out the door. SHIT! Was she EVER going to get on his good side? She had another scary thought. Maybe this WAS his good side.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet. He left at four thirty and she was able to clear her desk and be ready to leave by five. Varden stopped her on the way to the elevator.

"I have a few instructions for the rest of the week."

"Okay."

"You might want to spruce up your wardrobe, I know you are probably tight financially right now, but you are no longer a temp, and he wants you to stop looking like it. Also, he realizes you are friends with some of the X-Men, but please; don't come in smelling like Logan again."

"Hey…I can't help that…he's dating one of my roommates, and I am NOT moving, and you can tell him so."

"Very well, I will explain that to him. He is planning a luncheon at the end of the week for some clients, you will need to make sure food is ordered and set up in the executive boardroom. I will put a menu on your desk tomorrow. Your corporate credit card should be in the interoffice mail tomorrow, you will use that to take care of any purchases he asks you to make, even if they are personal…for you. You will submit your receipts to me…any questions?

"Yes…just who the hell does he think he is…"

"Victor Creed." Varden pushed the down button on the elevator. "See you in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

**I didn't plan on continuing this past the one shot…but well…it gets in my head and I can't get it out….**

Chapter Three

"Spruce up my wardrobe, order lunch for clients…and how the HELL am I going to keep him from smelling LOGAN for crying out loud." She was saying as she grabbed dinner from the microwave.

Marie and Logan were out to dinner; Jubilee had ordered herself a mini pizza, so Bron was on her own for dinner. Leftovers would work.

"Well, Chica, I can help with the wardrobe bit, you said that guy Varden was giving you a menu for the client meeting, and as for the Logan thing…you might try getting up earlier and taking a LONGER shower."

"I am going to spend a fortune in soap…and it will have to be the unscented stuff too, yuck. And NO you are not helping me with my wardrobe. He wants me looking like a Fifth Avenue secretary, not a mall rat."

"Hey, I offered. I can loan you some cash to pick up a few things though. Pay me back when you get your first check." Jubilee was stuffing her face with pizza so it was hard for Bron to make out what she said at first.

"NO! I owe you guys enough already." She said.

"Hey…you want to KEEP this job don't ya. Well, you will just owe me a little more, and I am NOT taking NO for an answer." Jubilee pulled her wallet out of her purse and handed Bron a stack of bills.

"Where'd you get this?" She asked, suspicious.

"Don't ask."

"JUBILEE!" She had been doing something that the Professor and Logan wouldn't approve of.

"The fire works were rained out on the Fourth…the city offered me three thousand dollars to hide at the top of the Statue of Liberty and shoot off my fingers so they could have their display…yea the Professor would be pissed I got paid for it, but it was fun."

"They paid you CASH!"

"Yea…it was under the table stuff. They didn't want to look bad." Bron laughed, well that was one way for a mutant to make cash in this town.

She counted the bills Jubilee handed her, eight hundred dollars. It would buy her a couple good pieces she could work with until her first pay check came in.

"Thanks, Jubes, I owe you – again!"

"Just don't tell Logan, OK!"

They both laughed. Bron finished up her dinner, and then went to grab a cab and go do some shopping. She was grumbling when she came back into the apartment. Marie and Logan were back and they were curled up on the couch with Jubilee in the recliner watching TV.

"What's the matter, Kid, Boss bein a jerk.' Logan said with a smug grin.

"Yea – he made me go buy new clothes and shoes just so I would look more professional in the office." Logan snorted, but Marie looked back over the couch.

"Where'd ya get the money, Sugar?"

"I took out another loan…from First Jubilee Fidelity." Jubes choked on her soda.

"BRON!"

"I'll pay you back."

"Jubes, I thought you were broke."

"I took some money out of my savings – so shoot me Logan, she needed the stuff."

Logan just glared at the mall rat, but went back to watching the TV, his cigar filling the room with smoke.

"Logan, could you smoke that outside or something." Bron asked.

"Why…boss doesn't like my brand?"

"Yea."

"Fuck that…Creed can kiss my ass."

"If I get fired, it's your fault." Bron said as she closed the bedroom door.

"It would be good for you if you did. Remember who he is, Bron." Logan shouted through the closed door.

"Logan, leave her alone. She wants ta keep this job." She heard Marie say.

"I don't like it and I ain't goin ta stop sayin so." She heard him grumble back at Marie.

She unloaded the bags. Two hundred dollars for one suit, and that was without the blouse, just the jacket and skirt. She hung the new suit on a good hanger. She had been lucky and found a pair of slacks that matched the jacket so that would give her two outfits to wear with that jacket. She had spent every penny of the eight hundred Jubilee had given her and had to pull two out of her own savings to finish picking up enough clothes for a week. She just hoped he would be happy with what she bought. She knew she would hear about it if he wasn't.

She heard a knock on the door. She opened it a crack, it was Marie and Jubilee, Logan was no where to be seen.

"Mission so Logan had to leave and we want to see the spoils, Chica." Jubilee said.

They pushed into the room, and started going through the bags. Five blouses, another jacket and three pairs of shoes, two more skirts, hose and another pair of slacks were quickly piled on the bed.

"Ok, how much did this set you back?" Marie asked.

"I gave her eight hundred…" Jubilee said. Marie just looked at her, shocked.

"EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS for this little…"

"Well, I had to pull two out of savings for the shoes and bath supplies." Bron said sheepishly.

"ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! This job better be worth it, Bron." Marie said.

"It is – please. I know it's a lot, but my first pay check I will be able to pay rent and bills and pay you both back, so come on."

Marie grinned. "Well, as long as you are making that kind of money…you can take us out to lunch too."

"After my first check." They grinned. "Now some of us have to work tomorrow…"

"Hey…We have a mission tomorrow."

"OHHHH finally going to earn those paychecks…" Bron teased, she knew the girls worked hard for Xavier, but it was fun to teas them.

"Watch it – working girl." Marie grinned as she shut the door.

She set the alarm half an hour earlier and crawled into bed. She could hear the other two teasing in the living room but she was just too tired to care. She lay back and thought about what she had to do tomorrow and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she took a long shower, washed her hair with the new shampoo, and threw up a little prayer that her boss would be pleased. She dressed in the new suit, one of the new blouses, new shoes and tried to do something with her hair. She finally just threw it up into a French Knot and hoped it would pass muster. The strands that hung down the back and sides curled from the damp of the shower as she threw on her makeup and headed out for work.

She made it to the office with twenty minutes to spare, Varden grinned at the new outfit and nodded. She just hoped Mr. Creed would agree. His coffee was on his desk and waiting at nine o'clock. The elevator doors opened and he didn't even glance up from the paper he was reading, just dropped his briefcase and overcoat on Varden's desk.

"VARDEN!" He shouted from the open door as he sat down at his desk. Varden winced and scrambled to get into the office quickly.

She sat down at her desk, and finished up a few items from the day before and waited for her morning dictation to type. She kept glancing at the mirror, but she couldn't tell what was going on in that sound proofed office. He didn't have an appointment until ten o'clock, and that was the head of accounting, no coffee for him.

She jumped as the door opened and a white faced Varden came out.

"Oh, my…he is in a mood this morning." He said as he handed her the note pad.

"That bad?" She asked.

"My advice, stay out of there as much as you can today." He gathered up the overcoat and briefcase, hanging the coat on a rack near the main office door. He opened the briefcase on his desk and started pulling out papers from inside.

"I have some legal things to take care of today, and I may be out of the office this afternoon, watch yourself, keep your head down and do your job, and hopefully he will ignore you." This didn't bode well for the day. She sat at her desk and started typing, waiting for his first appointment to show up.

The morning was actually quiet, except for the few times he yelled loud enough to be heard over the soundproofing. She felt sorry for the people in his office at that point. He seemed to be ignoring her so she worked quietly, refreshed his coffee when she could and otherwise played church mouse, praying he wouldn't see her.

Varden sent her to lunch early, and she rushed out of the office. She was tense – no she was scared. She was counting on the fact that he hadn't said anything to her all day to keep her safe for the afternoon.

"How's it going?" Jubilee said as she joined her at the table.

"Scary. He's in a mood today; I swear if he wasn't in the office he would have literally bitten the head of accounting's head off." She whispered.

"Are you safe?"

"Jubes, he's yelling, not killing people, ok. Pissed off and yelling I can deal with." She said with false bravado. She was scared out of her wits, but her friends had done enough to help her the last couple days. She would deal with this on her own.

"Just be careful." Her friend said as she left. Bron finished her lunch and headed back to the office.

"I will be out for a couple hours, so you will have to handle anything he needs. The menu for the meeting Friday is on your desk, along with a couple suggested restaurants, price them and choose what you think is best. Your card came, so use that to pay for anything that needs to be done for Friday."

She looked at the menu and shrugged. Time to get to work, she slipped the corporate card into her purse, it had her name on it, which was almost scary. Lunch was easy to arrange, she happened to know the restaurants on the list and the basic prices. Catering was arranged quickly. She worked quietly. His schedule was clear for the afternoon, which surprised her. No appointments, so all she had to do was watch to refresh his coffee and take care of the morning's dictation.

"VARDEN!" He shouted suddenly. She jumped.

"He's out of the office, Mr. Creed." She said from the doorway.

"Fine…I need the expense reports for Research and Development, NOW!" He growled.

"Yes, sir." She went back to her desk but couldn't find them anywhere, she checked Varden's desk but they weren't there either. She checked the computer, but there wasn't a file that she could find and Varden's was locked with a password. She let out a little moan of despair and called R&D to see if they had a copy.

"Those won't be ready until next week." The clerk in Research said, coolly.

"Mr. Creed needs them now. Can you email me the base report and I can compile it for him?"

"If you would, that would help." The clerk was happy to comply.

She quickly pulled the raw data into a report format and printed it out to give to him.

"I needed these five minutes ago." He snarled as she put it on his desk.

"I'm sorry it took so long, sir." She said quietly as she took his nearly empty coffee cup.

"Just don't let it happen again!" He snarled back.

She just nodded and went to refresh his coffee. By the time Varden got back she was almost in tears. He had snapped and snarled all afternoon, one thing or another wasn't right. Varden patted her on the shoulder, and heaved a huge sigh.

"Hopefully he will be in a better mood tomorrow." It was the only consolation she had, but somehow it was enough to know she wasn't the only one suffering. He left promptly at four thirty, and they both heaved sighs of relief. Varden packed up his desk and left by four forty five, and she was just shutting her computer off at five when the elevator doors opened again.

"Varden!" She heard him growl.

"He's left, sir." She said quietly.

"Damn…I forgot to tell him to pick up my dry cleaning. Wang's Cleaners, do you know where that is?"

"Yes sir."

"Have it here in the morning…and nice suit." He actually gave her a small smile as he turned and walked back into the elevator. She stood there in shock for a full five minutes, and then picked up her purse. She had dry cleaning to pick up.


	4. Chapter 4

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

Chapter 4

She stood in line at Wang's to pick up his dry cleaning. She was bumped and pushed by busy people trying to get in and out and back on with their lives.

"What you need?" The older woman behind the counter said when she finally got there.

"Dry Cleaning for Victor Creed." She said.

"OHHH Mr. Creed. Nice boy." She wondered who this woman had dealt with. It had to be Varden.

"Her you go. Tell Mr. Creed blood hard to get out of leather, no." The woman said as she handed Bronwyn three large bags full of hangers. There were suits, shirts, even his jeans were dry cleaned and pressed, and in one bag, by itself was his famous fur covered uniform. He dry cleaned his uniform?

She just took the bags and paid using the corporate card. Logan was never going to believe this. She almost dreaded going back to the apartment with the bags, but they had an overnight mission so she was safe. She grabbed a cab and slid inside. She was really starting to look forward to that first pay check, her savings were almost gone.

She slipped into the apartment and hung his clothes on the back of the closet door in her room. It took her a moment to see the irony of the entire situation and she sat at the end of the bed and laughed. Here she was, working for Sabretooth, picking up his dry cleaning and living with the people he fought with on a regular basis. His UNIFORM – the clothes he wore to try to kill her friends was hanging on the back of her closet – and for all she knew he was out trying to kill them right now – in his underwear. She tried not to laugh hysterically at the image.

The next morning her roommates weren't back yet so she showered and slipped out of the apartment with the bags. The cab ride was uneventful – as was her arrival at the office.

"Oh God – thank you – I completely forgot." Varden said as she handed him the bags.

"He came back to the office and asked me to pick it up." She said.

"How was his mood?"

"Better than the afternoon."

"God – that means it was the OFFICE that had him pissed – not something else. He has a strict policy to leave the office at the office."

"Well – good for him." She grinned.

"We better get ready – and HOPE he is in a good mood this morning."

Bron had his coffee on his desk when the elevator doors opened. He didn't say a word to either of them, just pointed Varden into his office. She finished up what was on her desk and waited. His appointments were a little intimidating today – Mr. Lensherr was coming back, and the Presidential candidate – Graydon Creed was scheduled at eleven o'clock. Senator Robert Kelley was coming in at ten. It was going to be a very busy morning.

Varden came quickly out of the office, only a small stack of work for her to type. She was finishing up the last minute details for the luncheon tomorrow, when he came out of his office.

"You – do you own an evening gown?"

"No."

"Pick one up. I have a fund raiser tomorrow night and I am not going alone – too many sharks looking for a husband at these things. It'll be overtime on your check."

"Ok..." She was a little stunned.

"Green – I think." He went back into his office.

"Eep." She whispered.

"Well – that's a first."

"What?"

"He never goes to fund raisers. Says they are a waste of time. Why he is taking you I don't know?"

"Well – I certainly don't."

"Is everything ready for the luncheon tomorrow?'

"Yes."

"Then take a long lunch – to pick out a gown – pick several and bring them back, he will want to choose."

"Ok." This was really starting to get old. Who the hell did he think he was – telling her what to wear?

Mr. Lensherr was due in five minutes so she grabbed a cup and made his coffee – still fuming about the whole thing.

"Ah – Miss. Tillman, still here I see."

"Thank you – yes."

"Wise girl." He took his coffee from her and walked into the office. Things were quiet until a very clear shout came from the office behind her.

"I'll do what I like with my staff – Erik. I don't work for you anymore." Victor shouted. She and Varden exchanged glances.

Mr. Lensherr left a few minutes later with a smile for her as he passed.

Senator Kelley arrived a few minutes later, and she handed him his cup of coffee – before noticing the hand holding the cup was blue and covered in scales. Mystique smiled at her from the Senator's face and Bron watched as her hand morphed into a more normal looking one.

"Still a little wonky sometimes since the cure." She whispered. "Is Victor treating you alright?"

"Fine. I am just his secretary."

"Sure you are, my dear. That's what they all say."

She carried Victor's coffee into the office and slipped out quietly – fuming. What the hell were people saying?

"Oh God – he will shut her up – trust me. He doesn't want any hint of anything going on. He likes to keep his staff professional."

"Thank God for that." She said. She didn't know if today could get any worse.

Mystique just gave her a wink as she passed by – and an almost conspiratorial grin. It made Bron want to rip her – his face off.

"At least Graydon doesn't drink coffee." She said softly – looking at the notes on her computer.

"I don't know why Victor wants to see him – it isn't as if he is running on a pro mutant platform or anything. The last time they spoke the only thing that stopped Mr. Creed from killing Graydon was their blood."

"What blood?"

"Graydon's his son."

"Oh…well that makes sense." DAMN! He had a son – who was running for President.

Mr. Creed and his security detail arrived and she showed them into Victor's office. When the HELL had he become Victor? God she was getting too comfortable around him. That was almost scary.

Varden told her to take off for lunch – and reminded her to take a long one – and bring back the dresses she picked for Vic—Mr. Creed's approval. She was going to nip this in the bud right now. It wouldn't do to call him Victor around the apartment – Logan would kill her.

Today she was meeting Kitty for lunch – which made her feel better. Kitty tended to be less judgmental than Marie or Jubes could be.

"Hey – how's things going? Did you ever find a job?" Kitty asked as she sat at the table.

"You mean Logan's not ranting the roof off at the mansion?"

"No. WHAT!?"

"I am Victor Creed's executive secretary." She said. Kitty covered her mouth with both of her hands.

"Oh. My. God. And Logan KNOWS!?"

"Yes – and isn't happy about it – but I told him I want to keep the job."

"No WONDER he's been a pain in the ass in the Danger Room this week." Bron was startled by Kitty's language.

"What! I'm not a kid anymore – I can say ass." They both laughed.

"Are you busy after lunch?" Bron asked

"No – I was planning on going to the library, but it can wait if you need something."

"Help picking out some evening gowns."

"Why do you need evening gowns?"

"Mr. Creed has a fund raiser tomorrow – and I have to go with him to keep the husband hunters away – at least that is what he said. He's paying overtime on it so I guess I will go."

"WOW! YOU going on a DATE with Sabretooth."

"It's not a DATE! It's work."

"Sounds like a date to me."

"Kitty!"

"Ok fine – it's work. I don't know why you are asking me for help, Marie or Jubes would be better at this sort of thing."

"Because if I tell them – they will think the same thing – and I DON'T want Logan finding out – until after the fact."

"AHHHH so it IS a date!"

"NO! I catch enough hell as it is – I DON'T want any more."

"Sure."

"KITTY!"

"Alright – but Pete will get a kick out of this."

"If you tell ANYONE – even Pete – Oh God I am doomed."

"Ok there is more to this than meets the eye – give."

"Just – Mystique was in the office and insinuating that I am sleeping with him – and I am NOT! And WON'T! That was after he TOLD me – not asked – told me I was going to this thing with him – and told me it was overtime."

"HE told you it was overtime – so it really IS work."

"Yes."

"Well Mystique is a snake – no pun intended – she would think something like that. If you aren't – and I believe you because Logan WOULD be shouting the roof down over that – then I wouldn't worry about it. People are going to talk – you are a pretty girl working for a rich – and single – guy. Ok so he's probably on every most wanted list in the world – and ugly as sin to boot – but people are always going to think the worst in a situation like that. Those who matter will know the truth – you – Creed and your friends." Leave it to Kitty to put things into perspective. She was right – she had dealt with rumors like this before on another job, it was normal office gossip.

"Ok – so where should we go looking for a gown." She asked.

"What kind of a budget?"

"Corporate card – I am supposed to pick several and have him pick the one I am going to wear."

"OH GOD! He's a control freak." Kitty said.

Bron just laughed. Kitty had no idea.

They spent a couple hours shopping and found about six dresses to choose from. Bron begged and pleaded and finally Kitty agreed to at least help her carry the dresses into her office.

It looked like he was still out to lunch when she got there – so they hung the dresses on the rack behind her desk. Varden grinned at her. She was introducing Kitty when she heard her name roared from the office behind her. She cringed but went into the office.

"Close. The. Door." He was stepping out of the washroom.

She hurried to obey.

"Why is Shadowcat in my office?"

"She was helping me carry the dresses for you to pick one."

He growled. "I know they are your friends – and you live with them – but I DON'T want them in my OFFICE!" He roared.

She stood her ground. "She is just helping me – and she's not in uniform and neither are you." He turned and looked at her – stunned at her comeback.

"What did you just say?"

"You aren't in your uniform – I know I picked it up at the drycleaner's last night – and she isn't either. She hasn't been a part of the team in a year – she's in school full time."

"I still don't – never mind. Fine she helped you – now get her the FUCK out of here. And my coffee's cold."

She hurried out the door. Kitty had already left. She hurried to get him his coffee.

"Now bring in those dresses."

"Yes, Mr. Creed." She grabbed them off the rack and carried them into his office.

"Just leave them there. I will let you know which one – you can return the rest Monday."

"Yes, Mr. Creed." She turned on her heel and walked out the door. She wanted to wring his giant neck.

She went back to her desk – and finished the pile of typing. She printed them out and handed them to Varden to take into his office.

"I'm done with him today – unless he roars at me again." She said, Varden tried to hide a smirk.

"It's nice to see you actually have a temper – and will stand up to him. You have to – or he will walk all over you."

"I could have used that advice earlier." She snapped.

"Probably." He grinned at her.

Five o'clock came around slowly. He came out at four thirty and dropped one of the dresses on her desk. "Leave it here you can change here tomorrow – bring shoes and whatever else you need. Is everything ready for lunch?"

"Yes, Mr. Creed."

"Good. The event starts at six-thirty; I don't want to be late."

"Yes Mr. Creed."

"Fine." He turned and walked to the elevator. She waited until he was in the elevator and it was on its way down.

"Jerk." She whispered.

Varden just laughed as he shut off his computer.

"A jerk that pays quite well."

"I know – right now that's his only saving grace." He escorted her to the elevator. Well – the pay and the company. Varden was a really nice person to work with.


	5. Chapter 5

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

Chapter 5

"…and then he tells me to bring whatever I need to wear with the dress I can change there. I swear I am going to skin that man – if I could – ohhhhh I just want to strangle him."

"Bron – hello – Chica – Earth to Bronwyn – this is SABRETOOTH you are ranting about." Jubilee said as Bron slammed the microwave door. Bron just glared at her from the kitchen.

"I KNOW that. Just because he is one of the most dangerous men on the fucking planet doesn't mean he can't fucking piss me the hell off."

"Ok I think SOMEONE is getting just a little too familiar with him."

"I have to go to "keep the husband hunting sharks at bay." She even did the little quotes in the air with her fingers.

"HE said that….SABRETOOTH said that."

"Yes. Why I don't know – only an IDIOT would want to be married to that bastard."

"Well – THAT sounds much better." Logan said as he walked in the door. "I take it Creed showed his true colors today."

"Oh – yeah – he sure did – he's taking her to the big party at the Museum of Natural History tomorrow night – even bought her a gown and INSISTED she pick it out."

"NO – he made me pick out six and HE picked the dress."

"YOU ARE DATING CREED!"

"NO! It's for WORK! SHIT!"

"Wait a minute – he's taking you to a party, bought you a dress – and it's for work? I don't think so." Logan growled. "I am drawing the line at this. You AIN'T GOIN!"

"It's OVERTIME on my check – and I am going to keep the sharks at bay – he seems to think all the single gold diggers in the country will be there or something."

"Who the FUCK would want to be married to that asshole?"

"Sugar – people say the same thing about you." Marie said as she came out of the bedroom. She had been laying down, her head pounding after the beating she took on the mission yesterday.

"Sorry – baby, are you feeling any better?" Logan walked over to her, Bronwyn forgotten, at least she hoped.

"Anyway I won't be home till late tomorrow, so don't wait up." Bron said as she grabbed her plate from the microwave and headed for her room. She didn't want to be trapped in the mutual – my owies are bigger than your owies – and let me kiss it and make it better shit that usually happened when Logan and Marie were on the same mission. They would be making out half the night, and then his snores would keep the rest of them awake the rest of the night. Maybe – if this job panned out she'd give Kitty her room and get her own place. Peace and quiet sounded nice about now.

She was curled up on the bed, TV blaring to drown out the noise from the room next door when Jubilee opened her door.

"Can I hide out in here, the NEIGHBORS are complaining."

"We could send them to a motel."

"I wish – I HATE bad missions.

"It could have been worse – Creed could have been chasing you in his underwear."

"WHAT!"

"I had his uniform here last night – he has it dry cleaned."

"OH MY GOD! OH GOD – DOES HE WEAR UNDERWEAR!" They both burst out laughing.

"I have no idea – but for your sake I hope so – wouldn't want him chasing you commando…" Bronwyn wiped the tears from her eyes, she had been laughing so hard. Nope she wasn't giving this up for anything. Good friends were too hard to come by. They sat and tried to watch TV until Logan finally started snoring and Jubilee slipped out to her room. Bron grabbed her earplugs and tried to go to sleep.

She had packed a bag before bed, with her essentials for the event that evening, and carried it into the office with her, tucking it under her desk. She smiled at Varden and checked the clock. He would be there in half an hour. She pulled up the list of appointments and the schedule for the luncheon. The agendas were typed and ready, as were the proposals and packages for each person attending.

The caterers would be there by ten thirty, the lunch was scheduled for eleven thirty, and she hoped he would be pleased with what she had arranged. The conference room was laid out, cold water, coffee and iced tea for refreshments. The morning was light appointment wise, so she would have time for any last minute adjustments.

The elevator opened and he just glared at both of them.

"Varden – pick up my tuxedo from the condo, I forgot it this morning – after we go over the day's schedule. You…" He pointed at Bron "in my office."

She picked up a note pad and pen and followed him in. Varden was right behind her. They both stood in front of his desk.

"Grab chairs – you'll be here a while. Personnel is handling the phones." Varden pulled a chair over and indicated that she sit down. He pulled another chair over and sat himself.

"Is everything ready for the proposal luncheon?"

"Caterers will be here at ten thirty, refreshments are set up, the table for lunch is set and ready. They will provide all dishes and clean up. Packets are prepared and ready and in place in the conference room."

"Good. I want this added to the packets." He handed her a stack of paper. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be an easy morning.

"Varden – when you go to get my tux there is a small box I need you to bring with it. They should be together if not, it will still be in the safe. Green velvet, has my cuff links and button covers in it, and make sure you grab the silk tie – not that damned acetate shit Michelle bought. You can tie a bow tie?" He looked directly at her.

"I think I can manage."

"Good – this is a plate event – so order dinner for about five, I usually hate what they serve at these things." He was back to instructing Varden. "Find out what – what the fuck is your name again?"

"Bronwyn Tillman."

"Right – what Bronwyn wants for dinner before you order."

"Bronwyn – finish the prep for lunch, and I want you in the conference room during the meeting in case we need anything – and take minutes." Great there went her lunch plans. "Clear my schedule until the luncheon, I have something to take care of this morning."

They both stood and started shuffling the chairs back to the conversation corner of his office. She took the stack of papers and went into the conference room to gather the packets. The morning was spent in the copy room redoing all the packets. She kept glaring at the gown hanging on the coat rack behind her desk; this was going to be a long day.

The packets were ready and redistributed at the table by the time the clients started arriving. She took a seat in the back of the room as unobtrusive and out of sight as possible. Mr. Creed came in and just nodded to her before taking his seat at the head of the table. The head of project development came in and the lights dimmed for his presentation.

At lunch Mr. Creed sent her to make copies of the presentation notes – and by the time she got back lunch was over. She was going to be miserable by dinner time. The presentation and discussion lasted until almost three o'clock, and she was finally able to make her escape.

Varden smiled at her as she sat down at her desk. There was another pile of typing to finish up – when the hell had he had time to dictate that? She groaned.

"Hey it could be worse." He said.

"Really – how?"

"You could be doing both of our jobs."

"Oh God, you are right – it could be worse." He just laughed.

Mr. Creed walked by, and just glared at both of them, which only made them giggle worse.

Her email icon was flashing when she was able to concentrate on her computer. She opened it. It was a stylized drawing of Mr. Creed with two cowering enchained slaves in front of him. One was captioned Bronwyn, the other Daniel. She glanced over at Varden who was chuckling. Who knew he could draw. They both shared a grin, and the camaraderie helped the rest of the afternoon go much faster. At least she now knew his first name.

Dinner came early and she started to slip into the break room to eat. Varden just pointed to the doors to his office. Great – she had to eat dinner with him.

"Sorry about lunch." He said as she walked in. She had been trying to avoid him all afternoon.

He was sitting on the couch, his dinner on the table in front of him. She just sat in one of the chairs, and put her containers on the table next to her. She would swear she heard him growl.

She ate in silence, waiting for instructions.

"So how long were you at Xaviers?"

"What?"

"How long were you at Xaviers?" He glared at her.

"My parents sent me when I was thirteen – my abilities are so minor it took that long for anyone to notice."

"You graduated there?"

"Yes."

"You know – this goes both ways."

'What?"

"Conversation."

"Oh." She went back to her dinner.

"Okay – you are pissed about something?"

"No, just not exactly sure what is going on?"

"Dinner."

"Oh."

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

"Something is bugging you."

"No, as I said, I am a little confused."

"About what?"

"I was expecting instructions for the evening, not a third degree about my time at Xaviers."

"Third degree? Darlin' if you want a third degree I can give ya one."

"I just don't see what my past has to do with anything – certainly not with the job I can do."

"DEFENSIVE!"

"Mr. Creed, I am here because you told me to be here, I am going to this event this evening because you told me it was part of my job. I don't see where my personal life has anything to do with it."

"Maybe so we can actually appear to know each other – not that that was my intention – but if you want it in work terms – there you go." He growled again.

"Fine – I graduated from Xaviers, earned a scholarship to NYU and graduated suma cum laude with a Bachelors Degree is Business Administration. I have been struggling, unsuccessfully; to maintain a full time job in a city that hates mutants, and yes it has me a bit on the defensive side. Any more personal questions?" She snapped.

"You seeing anyone?"

"THAT'S none of your business. And if it were – well I am sure it's in the background check you ran on me for the job."

"Ouch. Okay – forget it." He wiped his hand across his face and went back to his dinner. She ate quietly, anger simmering. It was none of his damned business; he was her boss – not her friend – hell he spent MOST of his time trying to kill her friends.

"I guess you think you know everything there is to know about me from your Geek friends?" He finally said.

"I know enough."

"Is it a problem?"

"No, they understand I am trying to actually make a living, and that means working in what – for them – is a dangerous situation."

"Dangerous? You are a fucking secretary."

"Working for you."

"I see your point."

"Is it a problem for you? Forget the X-Men a minute."

"No – other than the fact that you are an overbearing ass at times – you are one of the best bosses I have worked for."

"Well – you don't pull any punches."

"Are you arguing?"

"No. I KNOW I can be an overbearing ass – I do it deliberately – so don't take it personally – it ain't you."

"Well – THAT'S a relief." She said sarcastically. He actually laughed.

"So what makes this better than other jobs?"

"It's a JOB – not a meat market." He laughed at that too.

"Must have had some really bad jobs in the past."

"They haven't been great, no. Either they find out you are a mutant and don't hire you, or they hire you and then find out and you get fired. If they don't care – it's usually because the boss is a jerk who thinks a secretary means free sex."

"I see your point."

"As I said – I can deal with an overbearing ass.'

"I will try to remember that." He grinned at her; she knew he saw her flinch at the sight of his fangs, because he immediately dropped the smile. "Sorry."

"It's just – well when you are in the office it's easier to forget – the other, you know, except when you do something that reminds me."

"I see."

"I don't – well what ever happens between you and the X-Men doesn't effect me much – unless it's one of my roommates that gets hurt."

"I can't promise to remember that."

"I know – it's just – well I have heard all their stories a hundred times. Trust me – it's harder on them than it is on me. It's driving Logan nuts."

He grinned again – this time not dropping it. "Really?"

"Yeah – he keeps trying to get me to quit."

"Hrm – maybe I should offer some of the others jobs – just ta drive the Runt nuts." She laughed. "Naa – then I'd be up to my ass in X-Men – not a good idea. Guess that means I'll have ta keep ya happy at work – just to torment Logan."

She looked over at the take out boxes – somehow she had finished her dinner while they were talking.

"I guess I should go change."

"Yeah – me too. Try to relax tonight – I promise to be on my best behavior. Oh and call me Victor."

"Why am I worried?" His laughter followed her out of the office. 


	6. Chapter 6

Dictation

I don't own Creed. That pleasure/pain belongs to Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Entertainment, (and now perhaps to Seed Productions from the latest rumors about the new Wolverine Movie).

**A/N Ok at one point I realized that Victor Creed has to have some way of laundering all that money he makes on illegal assassination and terrorism, and since the comics have him shown in a more traditional business environment on several occasions, I wondered how he would deal with a Temp. As far as I know Creed Industries doesn't exist in the Marvel Universe but I think it should.**

Chapter 6

"Why am I worried?" She said for the fifth time as she struggled into the dress. She was going to have to ask for help with the zipper, her shoes pinched, but they were the only green dress shoes she could find, and they were borrowed from Jubilee. He would have chosen the most difficult dress to get into – he hated her – he had to.

There was a knock on the ladies' room door.

"Are you alright in there?" It was Varden.

"I'm fine but could you be a doll and zip the back of the dress for me." He tentatively pushed open the door. "There's no one in here but me, silly."

He zipped the dress, which helped with trying to pull herself together - now for hair and makeup.

"He needs help with his tie when you are ready – I never learned how to tie one."

She groaned. She tried to remember. She hadn't tied a bow tie since her sister's wedding.

"Tell him I'll be out in a minute." She said. She transferred her ID, some cash for an emergency, her lipstick and powder into the green evening bag that Jubilee insisted matched the shoes. Her hair was twisted into a French knot with the loose strands damp curled around her finger. She hoped it would do – it was the best she could do. She groaned one more time as she slipped on the shoes, and walked out of the bathroom, her regular purse tucked in the overnight bag and stashed under her desk.

"TILLMAN!"

"Well at least he remembers my name, now." She groaned to Varden.

He was just staring at her.

"Earth to Varden – come in Varden."

"Sorry – just – WOW!" She didn't understand men sometimes, she really didn't.

"Took you long….WOW!" He stopped dead in his tracks.

"I don't know what's wrong with either of you." She said, walking up to him and grabbing the ends of his tie. "Hold still." Without Jubilee's shoes she would have needed a chair, or gotten a crick in her neck.

She was getting a bit heated by the way he was looking at her. She wasn't about to let down her shields. Knowing what Victor Creed was feeling wasn't on her list of things to do at the moment.

"So – at midnight you turn back into a pumpkin?"

"Very funny – can we get on with this? These shoes hurt."

"Grouch."

"You try wearing shoes that pinch your toes – just to 'keep the sharks at bay' – and see how good a mood you are in." She said.

"I apologized for lunch."

She just shook her head. He growled and then grabbed his jacket. She had gotten used to him in business attire, but he certainly looked nice in the tux. He had his hair slicked back and tied with a carved leather holder at the base of his neck. He was freshly shaved and trimmed – even his famous eyebrows were trimmed to a normal length. His white shirt had black onyx button covers and cufflinks. Ok – he looked better than nice. Where the hell was Sabretooth?

"You ready?"

"I guess."

"Wait – almost forgot something." He pulled a box out of his jacket pocket.

"This should go with the dress – its just a loan – I didn't figure you had anything like it." She opened the box, inside was a silk corded ribbon with a carved jade figure hanging from it, and matching earrings. He lifted the ribbon and turned her away from him. He dropped the cord over her neck and tied the back so that the figure hung right below the V of her collar bone. She slipped the earrings in, and he fastened the bracelet.

"They belonged to Cixi."

"Who?"

"Empress Dowager Cixi. The last Empress of China – if anyone asks. They were given as a gift to an artist, well I ended up with them – don't worry about how."

"Oh." Well if you had to go to a thousand dollar a plate fund raiser with your boss, who was a known assassin and murderer – might as well be wearing Imperial jewels. The girls would never believe this.

He held out his arm and she took it. Varden was grinning when they walked out of his office.

"Is there anything you need me for, sir?" He asked.

"Not tonight."

"Will you be returning to the office, or should I take your suit to the condo."

"Take it to the condo."

"What should I do with my bag?" She asked.

"Varden – drop it by her apartment, I'll drop her off after the event."

"The limo is waiting."

"Why are we taking a limo for a couple blocks?"

"'Cuz it looks good."

"Whatever."

At least they weren't walking – which made her feet happy. Of course the museum was packed – people she had only heard of in the papers were there, Tony Stark, Matt Murdock, and Wilson Fisk, just to name a few. She stayed close to Victor. She wasn't comfortable in this type of crowd at all.

"Bronwyn, how nice to see you again." She heard Professor Xavier behind her.

"You too, Professor." She managed to say, blushing to the roots of her hair. She was standing there on Sabretooth's arm chatting with Professor X. This was going to be a strange evening.

"Have you given any further thought to my offer, Victor?"

"No – I gave you my answer. I don't do teams, besides – I have a company to run, so I am a little busy at the moment."

"Ahh – yes, Creed Enterprises – I was surprised to hear you would be here this evening. You don't usually do events like this."

"My board of directors thought it would be a good idea."

"YOU answer to a board."

"Only when I want to."

The Professor gave her a knowing look. "I see."

She blushed again. Now the whole city would think she was sleeping with him, damn it.

"Mr. Creed, do you know where we are sitting, my shoes are killing me." She said.

"Table ten – and I told ya ta call me Victor."

"Sorry. Professor – nice seeing you." She slipped over to the table and found his seats. She had only been half lying – her feet were killing her. She moaned as she sat down and took the weight off of them.

"Hey – Bron – thought I would say hi before we sat down." Kitty bounced up. Bronwyn was stunned – she looked great – not her usual bookish self. She was with a young man, someone Bronwyn didn't know.

"Bron – this is Peter, Peter this is my friend Bronwyn."

"Nice to meet you – Kitty we really need to sit…is that VICTOR CREED!" He said in a hiss.

"Yes – he's my boss."

"And her date tonight."

"KITTY!"

"Hello, Parker." Victor said as he sat down next to her.

"Creed – Come on Kitty, let's go." He grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

"That's why I hate coming to these things. Too many people know who I am." He grumbled. "At least we don't have to stay all evening – just until the presentations are over."

"Yes Mr. Creed."

"Victor." He growled.

She just glared at him. People were finding their seats, they were at a table that seated four couples, and she didn't know any of the people they were sitting with. There were two older men, and their wives and a younger couple who kept casting glances at her. She just wanted to sink into the floor. It was bad enough she kept catching Mr. Creed glancing at her regularly, and with a look that tempted her to drop her shields just to know what the HELL was going through his mind. It was possessive and predatory at the same time – a look to be very afraid of. The lights dimmed, and the Keynote speaker was introduced – she groaned – it was Emma Frost of Frost Industries.

This was going to be a long night.

Dinner was served – and she was pleasantly surprised. They must have hired a premier chef for this event, even Vic – MR CREED – seemed to be enjoying his dinner.

This had to stop – he was her boss for crying out loud – not a DATE!

The waiter kept filling their glasses and she lost track of exactly how much she was drinking. It was good wine – she knew that, but she wasn't feeling any effects – yet. They announced that the Jurassic room had been set up for dancing. She just wanted to go home.

"Care to dance." He asked.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, Miss Tillman – you have to dance at least one dance with me." He glared.

She glared back but took his hand. She let him lead her onto the dance floor, and tried to concentrate on the people around her – not on her flushed face – she hoped from the wine – or the feel of his hand at her waist. She could feel bits and pieces coming through her shields – and it was definitely base and raw and purely animalistic.

"This isn't a good idea." She said finally.

"Why not?" He leaned down and whispered to her.

"My shields don't hold up well under alcohol – and I am getting a major headache – not to mention my feet are killing me." She hoped that would settle him down. Keep it cool – professional – and as impersonal as she could.

"Shields I can't help you with – headache – well I think we can track down some aspirin, and why the HELL did you wear the shoes if they hurt?"

"They matched the dress YOU picked out." She hissed.

"All you had to do was tell me you didn't like the dress." He hissed back.

"Fine – I hate the dress, it's uncomfortable, it pinches, and the shoes are killing me."

"Grouch."

"I didn't want to be here in the first place – certainly not with you – and now half the damned city is going to think we are sleeping together, thank you very much."

"Whoa – where the hell did that come from?"

"The way people are looking at us – have been all night, the things I am picking up through my shields."

"Well – I did ask you to come because I didn't want to deal with all the damned gold diggers trying to get their fingers in my pockets." He grinned.

"So you have to let people think you are schtuping the secretary?" She hissed – and immediately regretted it.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." He glared.

He led her off the dance floor and back to their table.

She was quiet the rest of the evening. Her head was pounding, her feet aching – and now she had pissed off her boss – things weren't looking good at all.

Finally he escorted her to the limo and she climbed in. She swallowed a moan when he climbed in with her.

"Circle the park." He told the driver, and put up the privacy window.

"NOW then…" He grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. "What was that about schtuping the secretary?" He hissed before kissing her. Her head was spinning from the alcohol – and the emotional backlash she was getting from him – anger, passion, and need – regret. She pushed against him.

"Let go of me."

"Why – the whole damned city is thinking it – can't disappoint them. It's what they want." He growled.

His arms were crushing her against his chest. She wanted to relax against him – she felt safe – with Sabretooth – she felt safe. He was trying to seduce her and she felt safe, damn it. She didn't want to feel safe with him – didn't want to feel secure in his arms – against his broad chest. She wanted things the way they had been. He was the bad guy for crying out loud – not the safe guy.

"It's not what I want." She said finally as she pushed against him.

"That's never stopped me before." He growled, one hand cupping her backside as he pulled her closer against him. She stifled a moan – damn him. She wasn't going to be manhandled by her boss.

"Fine – I quit." She hissed against his mouth as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"WHAT!" He roared

"I am not going to put up with this." She looked into his eyes – they were black with passion and anger.

"YOU can't QUIT!" He roared again.

"Like hell I can't." She shouted.

"I need you." He said – his tone almost pleading.

"I'm not some whore that looks pretty on the front desk." She ground out at him.

"I KNOW THAT! I need you – professionally. You are the one having an issue with the whole image thing."

"I'm confused."

"Do you honestly think I haven't considered just fucking you in my office?" His blunt statement shocked her enough to listen.

"It hadn't crossed my mind."

"It's crossed mine – a lot."

"Oh. So what stopped you?" She snapped.

"YOU!"

"What?"

"You are good at what you do – better than good – and I think if I did try anything I wouldn't just lose you but Varden too. He likes you – respects you – and I couldn't get by with both of you gone. I am TRYING to go legit – TRYING to get out of this damned rat race mutant shit, and you two keep me professional – keep me grounded – keep me – well – HUMAN damn it."

"Oh." Suddenly she felt very sheepish – and very awkward pressed against his chest. He let her go and she moved to the other side of the car.

"So now what?"

"Now I drop you off at your apartment – and go home alone. I'm not going to forget what's happened – and neither will you. It'll keep us honest. I know I want you – now you know it. But I also know I need you – and not that way. That need is more important to me – you are more important to me – to my goals – than just sex. I can deal with it, can you?"

"I don't know." She said, honestly.

"Will you be in the office, Monday?" He asked.

"Of course – I need the job."

"You are funny – you know that. You could be – mine. Never have to worry about work – or money – or anything but me again."

"No thanks – I like what I do – what I am. I couldn't get by without working. I need it, and frankly you are too high maintenance for a relationship – I'd go nuts."

"OUCH! I'm high maintenance?"

"Hell yes – you are a VERY high maintenance boss, I imagine you are WORSE with the women you sleep with."

"Damn – you are probably right." He grinned at her, and she smiled back. Somehow they had reached an understanding. He was her BOSS, and it was going to stay that way – because that was how they both wanted things. He rolled down the window and gave the driver her address.

Logan was sitting on the steps of the building when they pulled up. She just climbed out of the limo and glared at him, cigar smoke curling around his head.

"Jubes was worried – Kitty called." Was all he said.

"Everything is fine." She said as she passed him on the steps.

"It better be." He stood up and walked over to the limo. She heard low male voices for a moment and then Mr. Creed shout.

"DAMN it RUNT! She's the best damn secretary I have ever had – good enough that even I'm not stupid enough to fuck it up – especially not over a piece of ass."

She smiled and opened the door to the building. She had a job for as long as she wanted it – and people she didn't mind working with – or for. Her friends would just have to learn to deal.


End file.
